Best 10 Portable External Hard Drives in 2018

Although modern laptops have become handier, versatile and can store lots of data, they still have their limitations. This is especially felt by people who desire a well-managed library, are planning to move around with their data store, or want feasible backup.

To cater for their needs, the market offers portable external hard drives that come inform of USB hard drives or high-end wireless. However, which is the best type for a person who wants viable backup?

Let’s have a glance at the top 10 best portable external hard drives on offer.

Despite its very small size, the My Passport is among the most-portable, fastest, and quietest external hard drives. This is a capacity of 2TB hard drive (it is also available in 1TB) and can directly be linked to a SD card.

The long-lasting battery offers up to 6 hours during energy-demanding activities such as video streaming and up to 20 hours on standby. Using it in Home Network mode gives you quick and lag-free streaming to up to 8 devices. However, you may find streaming to more than 1 device not very straightforward and the setup can be tricky as well.

9. LaCie, External Hard Drive, 1 TB

Rugged and compact design, portability and efficiency are some reasons why the LaCie mini external hard drive deserves to be on our list. Coated with a rubber bumper case, the device can be dropped from heights of up to 4 feet and will not be harmed or break.

The rubber casing also absorbs shocks and vibration and these safeguards the stored data. The water-resistant and dust-proof design allows the drive to be used in any environment without risk of compromising data.

8. LaCie, Fuel Wireless External Hard Drive, 2 TB

With dimensions of 4.5 x 4.5 x 0.9 inches, the Fuel drive by La Lucie gives you data backup to a tune of 2 TB. It comes with a clever gas tank design that indicates its full as well as remaining capacity. It’s compatible with iOS, Android, Windows, OSX, Android, AirPlay, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and many others.

The reliable Wi-Fi range allows you to easily link to the drive as well as stream data. However, the Wi-Fi option isn’t very fast and you are better suited with the USB 3.0 option. The battery can lasts for up to 3 hours.

7. Seagate, Wireless Portable External Hard Drive, 2TB

Imagine having 2 TB of storage space in a small pack? This is what the Seagate wireless external hard drive offers you. Famed for being an all-round data storage powerhouse, it comes in a small and compact size that is very portable. The hard drive can concurrently stream HD content to 3 devices thanks to its intuitive design.

Similar to most wireless options, it can easily connect to Wi-Fi, join a network, and comes with a SATA port, USB 3.0 adapter and easy-to-connect cable. However, you need to refer to the user guide before uploading any content, you have to use an app to rename files and there is need to use a password to protect the data.

6. Seagate, Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive, 2 TB

Vaunted as one of the slimmest portable external portable hard drives, the Seagate Ultra Slim comes with 2TB storage capacity. It measures 4.47 x 2.99 x 0.38 inches and uses a USB 3.0 port for quick power and data transfer.

Other reasons that make it one of the 10 best portable external hard drives include extra silent, ability to backup to pre-existing clouds, and sheer performance. Factors that affected its ranking include the short cable.

5. SanDisk, Portabl External Drive, 1.92TB

We begin by looking at the SanDisk Extreme 900 portable wireless disk, one of the fastest external storage devices. It has a 1.92TB capacity that is adequate for most uses and is full HDD compliant. It’s constructed from strong aluminum and features rubber coating to absorb shock and vibration.

Operating up to 9x the speed of a normal hard drive, the SanDisk Extreme is efficient for copying and storing videos, high-resolution photos and graphics-intense files. The main drawback is the fairly short USB cables (Type-C and 3.0) and its price.

4. Samsung, Portable Hard Drive, 1 TB

The world of portable external SSD gives credit to Samsung. The company was pioneer in the solid-state drives (SSD) and continues to offer reliable products to date. A good example is this 1 TB that is renowned for its compactness, fast speeds and portability. The Samsung T3 has the high speed that is four-times faster than the convectional HDD.

It includes a USB 3.1 C type port as well as a Type A adapter for connecting to older devices. However, the Samsung T 3 has a higher price than most drives on our list.

3. Toshiba, Portable Hard Drive, 2 TB

The Canvio Connect II from the Toshiba brand is quite portable and measures 4.3 x 3.1 x 0.8 inches. Apart from being portable, the wireless hard drive is famed for its wireless capabilities, easy connectivity and high performance.

It comes with a USB 3.0 port and can be accessed wirelessly via a private URL. Through the Pogo plug software, this 2TB device can also act as a cloud server host.

2. Buffalo, Portable Hard Drive, 2 TB

The Buffalo Portable External Hard Drive is designed for people looking for large storage, high performance and good portability. It comes in a stylish aluminum body for longevity and elegance. Courtesy of the revolutionary Thunderbolt technology, the ministration delivers speeds of up to 10 Gbps.

The USB 3.0 port is two times faster than the traditional mode and offers good and seamless connectivity. Adding it to your PC, Mac and other devices is easy and simple thanks to the bus-powered interface.

1. Western Digital, My Cloud Personal Network Attached Storage, 4TB

My Cloud External Hard Drive by Western Digital relies on Network-attached storage (NAS) and other port network to plug into a wireless router. It features a USB 3.0 port for connecting to other devices. In addition to storing data, it also gives you access to any network near you using its Wi-Fi connectivity. Because of this, it also acts as cloud storage even when you haven’t stored any data on the cloud.

However, this device totally depends on internet connectivity and playback quality is affected by the signal/network strength.

There is our complete review of the top portable external hard drives. The key focus was on portability, features and performance. By comparing the available models and also relying on consumer and expert opinions, we are now able to give you the best devices that assure you of reliable and adequate data backup.

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